A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has handed down a 14-count indictment against three local men for a violent series of crimes that included a terrifying kidnapping, armed carjacking, and the robbery of a postal worker.
United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced the charges on Thursday, detailing a crime wave that stretched from late December 2025 through January 2026.
The defendants, 25-year-old Armoni Burton of Greensburg, 22-year-old Ausaun Porter of Pittsburgh, and 21-year-old Lawrence Strothers Jr. of West Mifflin, face a litany of federal charges.
Burton was taken into custody by ATF agents in downtown Pittsburgh on March 25, 2026, while Porter and Strothers remain in detention on separate state charges.
The most harrowing allegations center on a January 7 incident. According to court documents, Burton and Porter carjacked a victim at gunpoint in White Oak. The pair is accused of kidnapping the occupant, striking them multiple times, and binding their wrists and ankles.
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Prosecutors say the attackers stole marijuana from the victim and used the victim’s own phone to demand ransom for their release. In a final act of cruelty, the defendants allegedly tried to dump the bound victim into a dumpster in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood.
Burton faces further charges for allegedly robbing a postal delivery person on New Year’s Eve. Additionally, he is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing stolen mail. Porter and Strothers, both previously convicted felons, are also charged with illegal firearm possession.
The legal stakes are high. Burton and Porter both face a maximum sentence of life in prison and significant fines. Strothers faces up to 15 years behind bars. The actual sentences will be determined by federal guidelines, factoring in the gravity of the crimes and the defendants’ criminal histories.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and V. Joseph Sonson. The investigation was a joint effort between the ATF, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
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